Changeable gauge mine car



Sept- 29, 1936- G. J. HAHN ET AL CHANGEABLE GAUGE MINE CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 16, 1934 mvlam`J s GOEGEJMH/V. BY Orro A52/wv.

' ATTORNEYS Sep. 29, i936 G. J. HAHN ET AL CHANGEABLE GAUGE MINE CAR Filed Nov. 16, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 N QJ (Y Y@ x B n@ @i FQ 2Q Q @S mi w k@ sg@ Q Q@ .t wx w@ 5 k mL s 1 mi 'k l i @lo mi i .i h? ai *ma Q Q l@ l d INVENTOR Q GEO/QGEQ 4H/v OTTO WV/v.

\ BY I ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT oFElcE' CHANGEABLE GAUGE MINE CAR George J. Hahn and Otto Sann, Johnstown, Pa. Application November 16, 1934, Serial No. '153,392

e claims. (o1. 10s-17s) This. invention relates to mine cars and more particularly to a mine'car having an improved type-of wheel mounting, whereby the wheels can be readily shiited to properly position them for coaction with tracks of differing gauges. It is broadly old to provide changeable gauge mine cars, but the arrangements shown in the prior art referchiefly to designs of obsolete construction.v Moreover, expensive `assemblages are used in the old constructions and in many instances require a plurality of sets of drilled holes for the attachment of the bearings and the like. f Our present invention resides in specific features of improvement which give rise to advantages in l5 manufacture. The rwheel mounting of our invention includes brackets ofdissimilar length; carried by the underi'rame members of the car,`

these brackets being adapted to be transposed in order to change the gauge. A further feature is that v the brackets for receiving the stub axles vcarrying the car wheel are provided with open ended slots which, upon the removal of a keeper bolt, permitsl of quick detachment of the subassembly including the 'stub axle and the bearings and mine ear wheel carried thereby.

The above and other features of the inven tion will be fully apparent from the following detailed description and claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawingsin the drawings:

Fig. l is an end view of a mine car embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrative of the change in gauge effective by transposing the wheel bearings employed in our improved 9,5 mine car, the relative lposition of the rails in Figs. l and 2 and the car wheels illustrating the magnitude of variation in gauge; Fig. 3 is a dev tail partly in transverse section, showing our improved wheel mounting; Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken at one side of the mine car and showing the body, main underframe members, and the brackets and wheel mounting of our invention; Fig. 5 is a detail section on line 5-,-5 of Fig. 4. Referring in detail to the drawings, the mine car includes outer side sills i0 which in the embodiment illustrated are in the form of rolledl structural flanged members, anangle member being shown. Spaced therefrom. at' each side of 5o the car, we provide an inner frame member I2. One of rthese inner members is shown at I2 in Fig. 4. This member is a'rolled structural Z-bar. The sections I0l and I2 are structural sections which are readily obtainable from distributors of y rolled steel products. Such rolled sections are well suited for supporting the brackets of our invention -because of the substantially horizontal and vertical members thereof, such as their flanges and Webs.

For supporting the wheel-carrying stub axle 5' I4, .we provide two brackets I6 and I8 of dissimilar length, it being apparent in Fig. 4 that the dimension A of the bracket I6 is substan-4 tially greater than the dimension B of the bracket I8. Suitable mine car sides, bottom and 10 wheel hoods are supported by the members I0 and I2, as shown in Fig. 4.

- The bracket I6 is s ecured by rivets 20,- bolts or other suitable attaching means to the hori- Zonta-1 flange 22 of the angular structural mem- 15 ber I0 and similar rivets or other fastening devices 24 are provided for securing a bracket to the upright flangeor web of the member I0.

Similarly, the bracket I3 is /secured by rivets or other fastening means 26 to the upper hori- 2o zontal ange 28 of the Z-bar and rivetsor other fastening means 30 serve to secure said bracketA I8 to the web 32 of the Z`bar.

The brackets I5 and I8, as shown, are provided with open-ended slots 30 and 3B, which 25 permit the ready insertion or removal of the wheel and axle `assembly upon removal of the respective clamp bolts 30 and 40 from the brackets. These bolts, when drawn up, exert suillcient pressure on the depending legsof the brackets, 30 which define the slots thereof, to ilxedly secure the stub axle I4. Such an arrangement provides for a certain amount of adjustment in positioning the car wheel as will be understood. y

The car wheel I2 is provided with the usual' 35 tread 46 and ange Mi for coaction with the rail heads. Each wheel has formed therein a pair of recessed shoulder bearing seats 48 and 50, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, for the reception of the cup members 52 and 54 of the anti-friction mem- 40 bers illustrated. These anti-friction bearings are of a known type and include taperedrollers, 'as illustrated,I and respective cone members 58 and 58, which are-fitted to the stub axle I4. The axle carries near one end a xed shoulder or collar B0, 45 winch is adapted to coact with the bracket It in assembling the parts and this shoulder also coacts with a which is interposed between the com bearing and said shoulder 60. Near--theggipnc te" nd of theehaft I4 there is 50 anotherdustcollar il whichcoacts with a nut -66 adjustably mounted on screw threads 68 formed on the shaft, this nut being provided with slots 10 `for coaction with a cotter pin12 adapted to lock the nut in the desired position of adjustment 55 on the stub axle. A suitable tting 'M'of conventional type is screwed into a threaded opening in the hub of the wheel, which opening leads into a chamber 'I6 adapted to hold a heavy grease or lubricant for the anti-friction bearings.

In order to Vary the gauge of the mine car provided with wheel mountings of our invention, it is merely necessary to transpose the bearings I6 and I8. And due to their dissimilar length, it will be understood that the transverse position of the Wheel with relation to the frame members of the mine car will thereby be varied. This relative variation of relative-position of the Wheel to the underframe members of the car is apparent to the eye by comparing Figs. 3 and 4 of. the drawings.v In the illustration of Fig. 3, it will be noted that the brackets I6 and I8 have been transposed with the result that the wheel is shifted to the left. The variation in gauge which is thus effected is apparent by the comparison of the position of the wheels in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 1, the Wheels are represented in the position they occupy when the brackets i6 and I8 arein the respective positions shown in Fig. 4, while in Fig. 2 the wheel position corresponds to that obtained by transposing the brackets I6 and I8, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Further minor variations in the gauge can also be readily obtained by using dust collars 62 and 64 of various lengths, as measured longitudinally of the axle I4 and making a corresponding adjustment of the nut 66.

In making the transposition of the brackets I6 and I8, it is to be noted that no additional drilling of the frame members I0 and l2 is required because the locations of the holes for the bolts or rivetsutilized to secure the brackets are equally spaced in.. each. Thus, they are clearly interchangeable. The design is such that mine operators can readily adapt the car wheels to suit the varying track gauges usedY in diiieren't mine entries or slopes and such changes can be made by relatively unskilled labor in a short time with a corresponding saving in loss of productive time for the car being changed.

Having described the invention with that particularity required by the statute, what we claim is the particular structural features or combinations of instrumentalites deiined in the appended claims and various mechanical equivalents thereof. A

What we claim isz- 1. A. changeable gauge mine car comprising a longitudinally extending lpair of under-frame members and a wheel mounting between them consisting of two xed brackets of dissimilar length adapted to be transposed and iixedly secured to said members to vary the wheel gauge of the car, a stub axle mounted in said brackets and having a fixed shoulder near one end adapted to abut one of said brackets, roller bearings carried by the axle, a car whepl having shouldered seats for said roller bearings and an adjustable abutment on said axle holding the bearings in said seats and adapted to coact with the other bracket in positioning the Wheels between the two brackets. y

2. A changeable gauge mine car comprising la longitudinally extending pair of underrame members'and a wheel mounting between them consisting of two fixed brackets of dissimilar length adapted to be transposed and viixedly secured to said members to vary the wheel gauge of the car, a stub axle mounted in said brackets and having a iixed shoulder near one end adapted to abut one of said brackets, a car wheel supported by the stub axle and means on the axle 'for holding the wheel against longitudinal movement relatively toxsaid fixed shoulder.

GEORGE J. HAHN.

OTTO SANN. 

